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Kris Draper
| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada | career_start = 1989 | career_end = 2011 | draft = 62nd overall | draft_year = 1989 | draft_team = Winnipeg Jets }} Kris Draper (born Kristopher Bruce Draper on May 24, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current special assistant to the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, the team with which he played 17 seasons for during his 20-year National Hockey League (NHL) playing career. Playing Career Kris grew up in West Hill, Ontario, Canada (a suburb of Toronto) where he played minor hockey for the Don Mills Flyers of the MTHL. After attending De La Salle College in Toronto, he was selected by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Windsor Spitfires in the fourth round of the 1988 OHL Priority Selection. Instead of reporting to Windsor, but he elected to play for the Team Canada. Drafted 62nd overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the original Winnipeg Jets, Kris did not see much NHL action in his early years. He is a rarity in that he played in the American Hockey League (AHL) and NHL before playing junior in the OHL. After playing just 20 NHL games for the Jets in four seasons since he was drafted, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1993 in exchange for $1. Doug MacLean the general manager of the Adirondack Red Wings at the time and a former Detroit Red Wings assistant, was responsible for the trade. Kris would quickly become a valuable fixture for Detroit and began his reputation as the "One Dollar Man," eventually becoming one of only six players (three others were longtime teammates) to play over 1,000 games in a Red Wings uniform. On May 29, 1996, during Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals of the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he was checked from behind into the boards at the end of the players bench by Colorado Avalanche player Claude Lemieux. The hit forced Kris face-first into the dasher (the top edge of the boards), causing him to suffer a broken jaw, broken nose, broken cheekbone and a concussion. When the Wings and Avalanche met again on March 26, 1997, play was very physical between the two teams, and the existing animosity over the hit on Kris set off a massive brawl ("Brawl in Hockeytown") between the two teams. Kris did not have a breakout season offensively until the 2003–04 season when he scored 24 goals and 40 points, helping Detroit win the Presidents' Trophy as the team with the highest regular season point total. In addition to his offensive contributions, Draper also won the Frank J. Selke Trophy at season's end as the NHL's top defensive forward. Kris was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Despite the personal achievement for him, Canada disappointed in the tournament, losing 2–0 to Russia in the quarter-finals and failing to medal. During the 2006–07 season, Kris was named an alternate captain of the Red Wings. On October 25, 2007, he signed a three-year, $4.75 million contract extension with the team. He earned $1.85 million in 2008–09, $1.65 million in 2009–10 and $1.25 million in the 2010–11 for an annual salary cap hit of $1.58 million. On March 17, 2009, Kris became the fifth player to play 1,000 games in a Red Wing uniform, a feat accomplished only by Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio, Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom. Kris (while discussing his accomplishment), said: "Anytime you can join a group like that or there's a sentence and Draper slides in with them, it's a huge honor. I know I've been fortunate. I've been able to stay relatively healthy throughout my career and just been given a tremendous opportunity to remain a Red Wing as long as I have. A thousand games in a Red Wings uniform is something that I'm really proud of. I never imagined we'd be sitting here talking about something like that." On July 25, 2011, the Detroit Red Wings prematurely announced Kris's retirement which was to be announced the next day at an 11:00 a.m. news conference in Detroit at Joe Louis Arena. The news of the retirement was leaked through a photo album the organization posted on their official website. The album, titled "Kris Draper in Photographs," contained 71 pictures. The 68th picture was accompanied by a caption that read: "After 1,157 games and four Stanley Cup championships, Kris Draper announced his retirement during a press conference on July 26, 2011." It was reported that Kris desired to play another season; however, the team did not have a roster spot for him and he refused to sign a two-way deal or attend training camp to try out for a roster spot. On July 26, 2011, Kris retired on July 26, 2011. He returned to the ice on December 31, 2016, playing for the Red Wings in their Centennial Classic alumni game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. During the game, he was involved in a heated physical exchange with Gary Roberts, an uncommon occurrence in alumni games. Management Career Immediately following Kris's retirement from hockey, he was added to the Red Wings' front office staff. He currently serves as the special assistant to the general manager, Ken Holland. In his position, he "works closely with Detroit’s management team, assisting in player evaluation at both the professional and amateur levels" and asked to "provide input regarding potential trades and free agent signings, as well as providing insight into potential selections at the annual NHL Entry Draft." Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs International International Play Canada }} Kris participated in eight international tournaments for Canada: *1990 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships *1991 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships *2000 IIHF World Championship *2001 IIHF World Championship *2003 IIHF World Championship *2004 World Cup of Hockey *2005 IIHF World Championship *2006 Winter Olympics Accolades Category:1971 births Category:Winnipeg Jets (1976-96) draft picks Category:Winnipeg Jets (1979–96) players Category:Detroit Red Wings players Category:Canadian ice hockey players Category:Canadian ice hockey centres Category:Moncton Hawks players Category:Ottawa 67's alumni Category:Adirondack Red Wings players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Olympic ice hockey players of Canada Category:Frank Selke Trophy winners